Plasma welding (PAW)
Tungsten plasma welding / Plasma metal inert gas welding
Plasma welding is a shielding gas welding process with inert gas and a further development of the TIG welding procedure. Here, the arc burns between a non-melting electrode and the material. The plasma beam, which is used as a heat source, is created by a high supply of energy that makes the shielding gas electrically conductive. The arc is constricted and thereby reaches a higher energy density than during TIG welding. Plasma welding is suitable for all electrically conductive materials.
Fast and efficient
In plasma welding, the plasma arc is constricted by means of a water-cooled copper nozzle which enables an extremely very high energy density to be applied to a very small area. The shielding gas is usually argon or an argon-helium mix which is supplied separately and shields the light arc and the smelt from the atmosphere. The high stability of the plasma arc allows high welding speeds with little distortion or tension.
Materials
Plasma welding is possible on all electrically conductive materials such as structural steel, stainless steel, aluminium and copper. Typical application areas are pipeline construction, and the construction of vehicles, tanks and apparatus. Thanks to the stable plasma arc even at low current levels, it is also suitable for micro plasma welding of very thin materials of up to 0.1 mm. Thick plates can best be connected using the plasma keyhole welding procedure.